Craig Muder: Resolutions can make 2008 a great year

For many of us, New Year’s resolutions last about as long as the heartburn from tonight’s wings and pizza. But for a few sports icons, here’s some suggestions for promises they can keep in 2008.

Craig Muder

For many of us, New Year’s resolutions last about as long as the heartburn from tonight’s wings and pizza.

But for a few sports icons, here’s some suggestions for promises they can keep in 2008:

- Roger Clemens: Find the people who destroyed your reputation. Bring libel suits, slander suits, paternity suits – anything to get them to change their testimony. Make me believe once again that you are the best starting pitcher the game has ever seen. Because if you can’t, if it was all a fraud… well, what a waste.

- Michael Vick: Become a model prisoner, get out of jail as soon as possible. Find a way, any way back into the NFL. Running back, wide receiver, punt returner. Just for a game. Show everyone that you learned your lesson. Be the role model you lacked as a younger man.

- Roger Federer: Win the French Open. With that one title, you’d be acknowledged as the greatest tennis player ever – which you already are. But until you get past Rafael Nadal on the French clay, others will lay claim to that throne.

- Peyton Manning: End the Patriots’ perfect run. If you don’t, if you can’t beat Tom Brady and New England in the playoffs, your Super Bowl title will be remembered as only a blip on the radar during the Patriots’ dynasty. As the best quarterback of this generation, you deserve better.

- Dale Petroskey: Send a hand-written note to all 75,000 fans who came to the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony last summer (I’ll help track down the addresses). Ask them to come back again in 2008. The sight of little Cooperstown enveloped by fans proved without a doubt that baseball is alive and well.

For the rest of us, take a break between the college bowls and the balloon drops for a simple promise: Make it a great 2008.

Craig Muder’s First Pitch column runs Mondays in the Observer-Dispatch. Contact him at cmuder@uticaod.com.